By Michaela Gordoni
Discovery’s annual shark-centric program week has been around for 37 years and isn’t going away anytime soon.
While other cable programs have to compete in the streaming wars, Shark Week swims along untouched.
A year after JAWS: THE REVENGE came out, Discovery launched Shark Week. It was an attempt to provide shark education and promote conservation, The Hollywood Reporter said.
The first Shark Week included shows CAGED IN FEAR, SHARKS: PREDATORS OR PREY, THE SHARK TAKES A SIESTA and SHARKS OF A DIFFERENT COLOR.
After 37 years, the shows are a little different. There are celebrity specials, dramatic enactments and footage meant to thrill and scare.
“Shark Week continues to evolve as a cultural phenomenon, blending adrenaline-fueled storytelling with cutting-edge science,” Howard Lee, chief creative officer of U.S. Networks and president of Discovery Network, said.
“But what truly sets it apart is the sheer joy and wonder our teams feel in bringing it to life. Every year, we dive into uncharted waters — discovering new stories, pushing creative limits and celebrating the awe-inspiring world of sharks with fresh eyes. This time, the sharks aren’t just circling — they’re dancing.”
Lee references a new show called DANCING WITH SHARKS. In it, Tom Bergeron hosts a dance-off where five divers, trained by underwater choreographers, dance with sharks and are judged on their performance.
“Even though it is entertainment — and a lot of times, there’s probably certain scientists and academics who are looking at it like, ‘That’s a weird way to approach shark science’ — we’re doing this for the greater good of getting some science out of it, while also just showing people how awesome sharks are and why they need to be protected,” said Kendyl Berna, documentary producer, marine biologist and co-founder of Beyond the Reef.
Education and entertainment run high in HOW TO SURVIVE A SHARK ATTACK. Paul de Gelder lost an arm and a leg in a shark attack. Now, he takes viewers underwater to face his old enemy in a live recreation, showing them how to defend themselves from a shark.
“It’s fascination of this animal that’s almost like a unicorn,” De Gelder told THR. “It exists, we think, but we’ve never actually seen one. These animals are literal dinosaurs…and yet they’re still here in so many different species, in so many different environments. We’ve been trained to think they’re super dangerous, mindless killers.”
De Gelder is no stranger to Shark Week. He’s appeared on the program’s shows for a decade and stars in four of them this year.
“Yet we’re in the water diving with them, and we’re not getting killed,” he said. “It breaks down that misconception that these animals should be killed, that they should be fished and wiped out — which they absolutely shouldn’t.”
Shark Week had 25 million total viewers across platforms last year. 2010 holds the highest viewing record with 30.8 million viewers.
Its success rides on nostalgia, social media presence and cross-brand partnerships. Social teams live tweet each night, with live shark cams and exciting announcements drawing in viewers — 37%, to be exact.
CNET reports this year’s shark week, which runs July 20-26, has 20 new shows. The shows include ATTACK OF THE DEVIL SHARK, SURVIVING JAWS, FLORIDA’S DEATH BEACH, GREAT WHITE ASSASSINS and more.
Read Next: Bethany Hamilton Keeps Trusting God’s Plan 21 Years After Shark Attack
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